Out Of The Ashes
by TheMockingjay1998
Summary: Starclan did not win the great battle. They now reside in the place of no stars, otherwise known as the dark forest. It is impossible for them to protect their living clanmates from the evil that now prevails over the forest. But evil, however strong, has no chance against hope. Can the clans save themselves, and most importantly, can they save their warrior ancestors?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Erin Hunter owns everything to do with Warriors.

Summary: Starclan did not win the great battle. They now reside in the place of no stars, otherwise known as the dark forest. It is impossible for them to protect their living clanmates from the evil that now prevails over the forest. The clans are now ruled by the cats of the dark forest, and there is nothing certain in their futures. But evil, however strong, has no chance against hope. Will the dark forest stay in power, or can the clans save themselves, and most importantly, can they save Starclan?

Chapter 1

Dovewing stretched in the cramped nest she shared with several warriors from Shadowclan. The den was full of the rank scent of Shadowclan. It permeated her dreams and turned them into nightmares of battles which then transformed into more nightmares of the great battle. Those nightmares were always the worst, and most vivid for Dovewing, and it was always the same dream. Ivypool pinning Firestar to the ground, teeth glinting in the setting sun as she clamped down on Firestar's throat with strong, unforgiving jaws. Dovewing suppressed a snarl at the thought of Ivypool. If the traitor had chosen to stay on the side of light, the battle would have been won easily, but instead, Ivypool decided to lead the dark forest cats straight to Thunderclan territory without a warning. Because of the lack of warning, it was pretty easy for the dark forest cats to win the battle.

A gruff voice called her name from outside the den, and a dark forest warrior thrust his head through the branches of the crudely-made den.

"Building patrol," he barked at Dovewing. Now that the dark forest had taken over, they were constructing a camp where all four clans would live from now on. Dovewing shivered as she realized once again that the dark forest was in power, and would be forever. Nodding, she followed the cat out of the den.

The crisp, chilly morning air surprised Dovewing as she followed the tom out of the branches. Dovewing blinked, not yet used to the surroundings where she and her clanmates now lived. On all sides of her there were makeshift dens. With her acute hearing, Dovewing could make out the breathing and rustling of each cat in the dens. She could tell by their fast breathing that they, like her, were still affected by nightmares from the battle. Following the tom, she wove her way through the dens and into the pine forests of Shadowclan territory where the new camp was being built. Dovewing didn't need concentrate on where she was going. It was easy enough to follow the pawsteps of the cat leading her. This meant that Dovewing had time to examine the cat leading her. His pelt was matted with weeks of leaves and dirt, and the color of his fur was almost unrecognizable. Almost. When he turned his head to make sure she was following, Dovewing was sure. She couldn't let him know she knew who he was, though. It would make this torture feel even more personal. They arrived at the camp to the sounds of branches dragging over soil. The outer wall was being constructed. This camp would be enormous compared to the old Thunderclan camp, so the dark forest cats needed extra cats to build it. The unmentionable tom leading Dovewing flicked his tail at a group of Windclan cats.

"Your Patrol," He mewed sharply before turning and disappearing into the pines with a flick of his tail. Dovewing's heart sank. Could this couldn't get any worse? Now she was stuck with Windclan cats who surely hated her. It was too much to hope that they would be kinder after this battle.

Dovewing padded slowly toward the Windclan cats. The patrol consisted of Crowfeather, Nightcloud, and Ashfoot. Dovewing felt a little relief. Crowfeather and Ashfoot wouldn't be as hostile as, say, Breezepelt. Ashfoot flicked her tail as Dovewing approached.

"Every cat is here," She announced. "Let's get started." As the sun beat down, Dovewing dragged branches to the wall and helped to position them. She had not had a single bite of freshkill all day, so the work was even more exhausting than usual. Ashfoot made a few attempts at conversation throughout the day, but Dovewing ignored them. She was to wrapped up in her own thoughts. She hadn't seen Ivypool sense the battle, meaning that she had probably been given a place of high rank in the new clan for her part in the battle. She found herself thinking of her clanmates. Also, she had not seen a single one of them sense the battle a moon ago. Dovewing had a feeling the leaders of this new clan were intentionally separating her from her clanmates. Tigerstar knew of the prophesy about the three, so he probably wanted to make sure the three did not have a chance to plan anything. Dovewing worked until her paws were aching and the dark forest warrior supervising them ordered them to stop.

The dark forest warrior who Dovewing now recognized as Hawkfrost led the cats out of the camp and toward the makeshift sleeping areas. Freshkill was piled up in front of the dens. The cats pushed and shoved their way to the freshkill pile. There were no more rules about who gets what freshkill. There were only starving cats, and starving cats would do anything to get freshkill. Dovewing found herself at the back of the crowd. She didn't care that she would probably get the tiniest mouse or the most rotten rat. She was looking for a certain tom, the one who had taken her to the building area. She scanned the crowd of cats, waiting to see his distinctly dirty pelt. Once she spotted the cat, her mind was instantly flooded with thoughts of the past and questions and curiosity while her heart began to pound. She told herself these feelings were useless now that their world had been completely flipped up-side-down. She told herself that this cat was a leader in this new clan, and to him, Dovewing was just another warrior. Her mind spun out of control as he detached himself from the crowd and padded deliberately in her direction. "Dovewing," He mewed. Her heart began to pound again.

"Tigerheart," Her mew was not a question. She knew who this tom was, different as he looked.

A/N. Hey guys. So, I really hope you liked chapter one of my first ever Warriors fanfic! You guys probably noticed there were some twists to how "Last Hope" ended, so I hope you don't mind. Please let me know what you think, and thanks so much for reading! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N. Just to let you guys know, I'll be switching around POVS kind of unexpectedly. This story won't just involve a certain set of cats. Since it's about all the clans, including Starclan, it'll be switching to seemingly random cats. Thanks for putting up with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own warriors.

Chapter 2

The screeches and yowls of cats in pain were all Bluestar could hear. Instead of weakening her, this only strengthened her resolve. She dug her claws into the back of a dark forest tom, trying desperately to stop it from reaching the heart of Thunderclan territory. The tom whirled around and snapped at her. Bluestar, still gripping the cat between her forepaws. She flipped to her back then sprung up, gathering her hindpaws beneath her for balance. The dark forest warrior was now on the ground with his tender belly exposed to the rays of the sun. Bluestar hesitated. She had never killed another cat. The warrior code strictly prohibited it. Would she do it now, though. Would she kill a dark forest cat to save countless lives. Yes, of course she would, but she knew that even as she lunged forward, teeth snapping, to deliver the killing blow, that it was all wrong. She had hesitated for the tiniest instant while she considered, and that was all the tom needed. Bluestar felt sharp teeth on the back of her neck and her world went black.

Bluestar's eyes flickered open. A cold wind ruffled her pelt and moaned through the trees around her. Wait, trees? Bluestar looked around, trying to pinpoint her surroundings. Instead of the lush, beautiful forests of Starclan territory, she saw thick, dark branches disappearing into the semidarkness. She had been sent to the place of no stars. Why had she been sent here? When she died, she had been sent to Starclan, right? The events of the battle crashed back into her head. Her paws trembled slightly at the thought of the mangy Dark Forest warrior. Bluestar wished she could get her paws on him for killing her again and exiling her to this awful place. Bluestar stretched and began walking. She knew that she wouldn't find any other cat. This was a punishment for the cats that truly deserved to be here. They walked through this forest alone. Or, they did until they took over Starclan's hunting grounds. Bluestar's lip curled back in a snarl as she thunder of Tigerstar or Hawkfrost lounging under sunny trees and fishing in glittering streams. How had this happened? Starclan was prepared for this. Why couldn't they win the battle? This wasn't how the outcome was prophesied. Bluestar thought back to the battle. What had been different? She saw the dark forest cats crashing through the thorn barrier in waves, led by... Bluestar yowled in anger. Ivypool, that traitor, had led the cats straight to Thunderclan territory. the safety of the clans was in Ivypool's paws, but she had betrayed them. If Ivypool had stayed on the side of light, everything would be normal and peaceful. A knot of anguish twisted in Bluestar's stomach. Why couldn't she have noticed before now? Why hadn't she realized that Ivypool would do this? Bluestar continued to walk aimlessly through the dark forest, loneliness already pressing down on her like a furious Leafbare wind blowing her fur flat against her skin.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooo

Dovewing stared at Tigerheart, aghast.

"What are you doing here?" She knew Tigerheart was on the dark forest's side, so why did she feel a little flutter of warmth in her stomach when he looked at her.

Leaning close, he mewed quietly, "Making sure you're okay." Dovewing tried to be indignant, but it was almost impossible.

"I can take care of myself." Her mew was weak and quiet. The helpless note in her mew infuriated her. "Why do you care, anyway?" Tigerheart chose not to answer. Instead, he dropped a large vole in front of Dovewing. Giving her one last look, he turned and disappeared. His eyes had hardened as he turned away. Did he even care about her anymore? Sighing, Dovewing settled down to eat the vole, trying not to think about anything in particular.

After her meal, Dovewing pushed her way further into the huddle of cats, trying to stay warm. Looking around, she saw no cat that she recognised. Why hadn't she seen any other cats from Thunderclan? How could Tigerstar possibly keep them separated for this long? Dovewing stretched upward even further, trying and failing to spot a familiar pelt. A black shape caught her eye. Haunted green eyes looked out from the face. Could it be? No, it couldn't. Despite her mind chastising her with every pawstep she took, Dovewing struggled through the crowd toward the cat. Once she reached her, she was positive.

"Hollyleaf?" The she-cat looked up in surprise.

"Dovewing? Is that you?" Dovewing's whiskers twitched and she purred, trying to keep it as quiet as possible so that no dark forest cat would hear.

"It's so great to see you! I haven't seen any Thunderclan cats since the Great Battle." Dovewing mewed, still trying to contain her excitement.

"Really?" Hollyleaf mewed, a questioning look in her green eyes. "I've seen all of them." Dovewing's heartbeat quickened. They were doing this to prevent the three from mixing. "Although," Hollyleaf paused, considering. "I never see Jayfeather and Lionblaze together. They're always apart." Dovewing twitched her tail.

"Weird," she mewed, trying to change the subject. "How are you?"

A sad look entered Hollyleaf's eyes. "I'm fine. Just trying to survive."

"Me, too," Dovewing admitted, staring down at her paws. She didn't want to admit that she'd just eaten a fat, juicy vole. She hoped that Hollyleaf couldn't smell it's tantalizing scent on her. Dovewing had no idea what a cat would do for food now.

All traces of the sun had left the sky now, and the stars glittered very faintly above. Dovewing felt an unwelcome twinge of hope bubble up inside her. Was Starclan still looking down on the Clans? She immediately quelled the thought and tried to continue her conversation with her clanmate.

It was hard for Dovewing to not talk about her fellow clanmates. She ached with loneliness, and even seeing Hollyleaf wouldn't banish it. At least she'd gotten a glimpse of Tigerheart, even if he'd been rude and hostile at the end of their conversation. Dovewing was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice a dark forest warrior's teeth imbed themselves in her scruff. The warrior lifted her easily from the ground and began walking. Dovewing looked down to see nearly transparent paws. She thrashed, thinking that a dead dark forest cat was taking her to the place of no stars. Her trepidation increased when she recognized Mapleshade. This made her even angrier. Mapleshade had been her clanmate, even if she was dead long before Dovewing was born. Why had she turned on her clan?

Mapleshade continued to carry her. Dovewing could feel drops of sticky blood matting her fur at her scruff where Mapleshade had hold of her. She wondered how a cat who seemed barely there could have such a strong grip. As she was carried, Dovewing noticed the temperature decreasing. She shivered, cold winds blowing her fur backwards. Dovewing began to panic as their path continued to wind downward. Dovewing realized where Mapleshade had taken her. A hollow dread filled her stomach. She knew nothing about how to escape from the tunnels.

A/N. Thanks for this reviews and follows! It's so amazing to know that people are actually reading my story! Again, please review! Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks for reading! 


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